The present invention generally relates to faucet spray heads, and more specifically, but not exclusively, concerns a faucet hose guide and retraction mechanism.
With today's modern kitchen and bathroom designs, faucets have been redesigned to incorporate faucet spray heads or wands that act both as a spray head as well as a regular faucet. Typically, with such dual faucet heads, the spray head or wand is attached to a flexible spray hose that is threaded from underneath the sink through a faucet body or hub. The spray heads are attached to the spray hose so that the spray head can be extended and moved around a sink by the operator. In one design, a counterweight, which is attached to the spray hose underneath the sink, is used to retract the spray head. However, there are a number of disadvantages with this counterweight design. One disadvantage is that the spray hose is constantly biased to retract the spray head. If the spray head accidentally slips from the user's hand, the spray head will be undesirably retracted, and while retracting, the spray head may accidentally spray water out of the sink and onto the user. Moreover, if the counterweight is not properly positioned along the spray hose, the spray head may not fully retract or the counterweight can act as a stop so as to limit the extent to which the spray head is able to extend.
Other design problems associated with spray head type faucets can inhibit movement of the spray head and/or create excessive wear on components in the faucet. Cabinets underneath sinks are usually cluttered with items, such as cleaning supplies, piping for the faucet, and the like. Consequently, the spray hose can be tangled with these items such that the hose will not be able to extend or retract. After repeated use, the hose can become worn by rubbing against the components in the faucet, thereby creating a potential leakage problem. One design solution has been to house the spray hose in a continuous guide tube or sleeve that reduces the wear on the hose. Although these guide tubes tend to reduce hose wear, they are not practical for faucets with complex shapes. Complicated shaped faucets tend to contain hose cavities with bends and turns that create multiple rub points. To compensate for these multiple rub points, the guide tube would have to be bent in a fashion similar to that of the hose cavity. As should be appreciated, once bent, insertion of the guide tube into the faucet may be extremely difficult, if not impossible.
With the advent of home do-it-yourself hardware stores, homeowners in greater numbers are installing and repairing faucets themselves. One problem homeowners face is where to store the instruction manuals, parts and/or tools that come with the faucet installation kit. Typically, the homeowner either discards these items once the faucet is installed or stores the items in a place where they are not readily accessible. If routine maintenance or emergency repair of the faucet is required, the homeowner may not be able to find these items in order to make the repair.
Thus, there remains a need for improvement in this field.